Composite floor panel



I NOV. 15, 1966 ROEDER 3,284,978

COMPOS ITE FLOOR PANEL Filed April 16, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTORGERALD M. ROE'OER Af/omey Nov. 15, 1966 5. M. ROEDER 3,284,978

COMPOSITE FLOOR PANEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 16, 1964 //V VE N TORER :9. M

A f/orney' (75V GERALD M R050 w M v v l l l u E m Nov. 15, 1966 ROEDER3,284,978

COMPOSITE FLOOR PANEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 16, 1964 w- INVENTORGERALD M. ROEDER y M:9, M

Attorney United States Patent Office 3,284,978- Patented Nov. 15, 19663,284,978 COMPOSITE FLOOR PANEL Gerald M. Roeder, Pittsburgh, Pa.,assiguor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of DelawareFiled Apr. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 360,238 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-589) Thisinvention relates to a composite floor panel, adapted to prefabrication,which eliminates the necessity for the wood-frame floor systemtraditional in residential construction and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed modularfloor panel of considerably more width than that of individual usualflooring boards, which panel is capable of spanning, with only endsupport, relatively large unsupported beam to beam expanses.

A concomitant object is to obtain this spanning capability with a floorpanel of modest depth.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a floor panel whichmay be prefabricated with a minimum of capital equipment investment,thereby permitting its fabrication by small shops.

The panels may be readily installed, in either prefabricated orwood-frame houses for example, with a minimum of training ofinstallation personnel.

More particularly, the invention contemplates construction of buildingfloors utilizing the relatively broad and long modular panelscommercially available in plywood, by adding a composite metal bracingunderstructure, and providing panel joining features.

The invention will be more fully described in conjunction with thedrawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 shows the panel of the invention in perspective with partsbroken away to illustrate interior construction;

FIGURE la is a top view of the panel of FIGURE 1, further depicting therelative positioning of components; FIGURES 2 and 3 are side and endviews, respectively, of the panel, and complement FIGURE la;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an element of the 1 composite panel;

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view of four panels installed in a building,including certain adjacent building structure;

FIGURES 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 present enlarged details, in section, ofstructure shown in FIGURE 5, taken along linesVL-VI, VII-VII, VIII-NIH,IX-IX and XX respectively. These figures are concerned withpanel-topanel joining and joining of panels to building structure;

FIGURE 11 is a plan view showing the general layout of a floor using thepanels of the invention; and

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII- XII of FIGURE 11.

Referring in more detail to the drawings, particularly FIGURES 1 and la,it may be noted that the composite panel has a top surface member 1which may be plywood sheet for example. However, other materials capableof providing substantial floor area coverage in a desired module sizemay be employed. In general, the top surface member, advantageous in thepresent invention, is very much broader than conventional flooringboards, as will be apparent from an example to be presented hereinafter.

Spanwise bracing of top surface member 1 is accomplished by means of ashallow, generally U-shaped panlike member 2, with a generally flatbottom 2a. Member 2 runs the entire length of the underside of topsurface member 1. A multiplicity of these bracing elements may beemployed, if suitably spaced to provide the endwise panel interlockingfeature, to-pan installation, hereinafter described. However, a singlesuch bracing element is preferred for conventional involving thestaggered panplywood sheet sizes. With a single U-shaped bracing member,it is preferred, for maximum strength of panel, that leg 2b bear uponthe underside of top surface member 1, lengthwise, at about the middlethereof, as shown in FIGURES 1a and 3. Leg 2b is provided with flange 20for rigidity and ease of attachment to top surface member 1.

Leg 2d of pan 2 preferably provides support to top surface member 1along a line about directly beneath edge 10 thereof. It will be notedthat leg 2d does not bear upon top surface member 1, but is separatedtherefrom by panel joining strip 3. Accordingly, leg 2d iscompensatingly shorter than leg 2b. Panel joining strip 3 bears in partupon the underside of top surface member 1, extending along edge 1athereof. Strip 3 protrudes beyond edge 1a to provide a ledge 3a adaptedto provide bearing support for an abutting mating panel along its edge1b. The ledge is adapted to receive means for joining the panels. Leg2d, similarly to leg 2b, has flange 22 at its tip, which flangepreferably extends outwardly beneath the ledge 3a, to provide bearingsupport therefor.

Transverse member 4, depicted in FIGURE 4, preferably conforms generallyin shape to the inside configuration of U-shaped pan member 2 and theunderside of top surface member 1, to impart maximum stiffness to thepan. Notch 4n thereof accommodates the portion of panel joining strip 3extending inboard of leg 2d, and preferably is adapted to bear upon thejoining strip at its vertical and horizontal notch surfaces as shown inFIG- URE 3. Member 4 is desirably provided with ventilation notch 4v.

A transverse member 4 is installed in at least one end of U-shapedmember 2, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 1a. As will be observed, this member4 protrudes beyond end 10 of top surface member 1 to form ledge 4a,similarly to the aforementioned edgewise protrusion 3a of joining strip3, which projection is adapted to provide bearing support for, and toreceive joining means for, an unsupported end portion of top surface 1of an additional panel, when said top surfaces are in pan-staggeredendwise abutting relationship, as shown in FIGURES S, 9, 11 and 12. Itwill be noted that the end-abutting pan-staggered relationshipcontemplates the joining of complementary panels in an interlockingmanner so that each panel contributes a supporting ledge for the otherabutting panel. Accordingly, with pan legs 2b at about the midpoints ofthe panels, each top surface member finds substantially continuous endsupport from the interlocking positioning of transverse members 4located at panel ends.

Transverse members 4 are desirably installed in both ends of U-shapedmember 2, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 1a, with ledge 4a protruding beyondtop surface member edge 10'. This increases pan stiffness, and permitsthe employment of a single type panel, since panstaggered matching maybe achieved by simple end-toend reversal of panel position duringinstallation.

An additional transverse member 4 is desirably installed about mid-wayalong the pan, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 1a, for imparting additionalpan stiffness.

Mechanical fasteners, such as nails 5, as shown in FIGURE 3, aredesirably employed to attach the ends of transverse members 4 to legs 2band 2d of U-shaped member 2.

A composite panel, as described above, lends itself to ready jointure tofoundation-wall structure. In FIGURE 6 an end of a panel with pan 2 andtransverse member 4 receives support from foundation 6. A filler strip7, desirably of the same thickness as top surface member 1, may beattached by nails or other suitable means to transverse member ledge 4aand top of header 8. Similarly, along a panel edge, as shown in FIGURE7, pan 2 conveniently handled foundation-Wall structure.

As shown in FIGURE 9, end-to-end jointure is effected at a centersupport beam, or other mid-beam, as previously described, and oining 1sconveniently effected by nails 5. Similarly, as shown in FIGURE 10,nails may be employed to effectuate side-to-side jointu-re of panels.

FIGURES l1 and 12 are further illustrative of the staggered panrelationship for panel installation and illustrate the need for only asingle center support beam in a [residence of conventional size.

An illustrative panel of the invention, capable of Withstandingconventional residential loading tests of 40 pounds per square foot,comprises a /2 inch or inch tively. Any commercially available phenolicresin adhesive may be employed, for example. Adhesive bonding may beextended to include the areas of contact between the upper surfaces oftransverse members 4 and the other panel members, however, thisadditional bonding is not generally preferred inasmuch as it interfereswith desirable straight line assembly operations. Also, a panel wheninstalled exhibits a diaphragm action under loading, and bonding at morethan the aforementioned lengthwise points tends to adversely affect thisaction.

I claim:

1. A composite floor panel comprising (a) a top surface member;

(b) a panel joining strip running lengthwise on the underside of saidalong an edge thereof to receive means an additional panel;

(c) a generally U-shaped member running the length of the underside ofsaid panel, said U-shaped member having one leg tip bearing on theunderside of 3. The panel of subparagraph of claim.2 in which transversemembers (d) are secured to U-shaped member of N 0 references cited.

P. M. CAUN, Assistant Examiner.

1. A COMPOSITE FLOOR PANEL COMPRISING (A) A TOP SURFACE MEMBER; (B) APANEL JOINING STRIP RUNNING LENGTHWISE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID TOPSURFACE MEMBER AND PROTRUDING ALONG AN EDGE THEREOF TO RECEIVE MEANS FORJOINING AN ADDITIONAL PANEL; (C) GENERALLY U-SHAPED MEMBER RUNNING THELENGTH OF THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID PANEL, SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING ONELEG TIP BEARING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID PANEL JOINING STRIP AND THEOTHER LEG TIP BEARING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID TOP SURFACE MEMBER, THELEG LENGTHS BEING UNEQUAL TO COMPENSATE FOR THE THICKNESS OF SAID PANELJOINING STRIP; (D) TRANSVERSE MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE LEGS OF SAIDU-SHAPED MEMBER AND BEARING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID JOINT NAILER STRIPAND THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID TOP SURFACE MEMBER, AT LEAST ONE OF SAIDTRANSVERSE MEMBERS PROTRUDING BEYOND THE TOP SURFACE MEMBER TO RECEIVERMEANS FOR JOINING AN ADDITIONAL PANEL, SAID TRANSVERSE MEMBERS BEINGADAPTED TO PROMOTE STIFFENING OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER.